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Wednesday, 8 May 2019

Delighted Harry And Meghan Reveal Their Newborn Son Is To Be Called Plain Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor As They Take Him To Meet The Queen

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have named their first child Archie Harrison, to be known as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The couple introduced their newborn to his great-grandparents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as Meghan's mother Doria, this afternoon (left). The baby will not have a Royal title, it has emerged but will be known as Master Archie. The announcement from Buckingham Palace came hours after the couple proudly showed off their baby son to the world for the first time today (right) as his beaming parents finally revealed their 'own little bundle of joy' to millions of loyal fans across the globe. Following the official press gathering earlier today, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry took to their own 'SussexRoyal' Instagram account to share three photographs of their new family. The first was a full-length photo of the couple, walking down the red carpet and through the doors at Windsor, Harry holding the baby, and Meghan gently touching his arm. The second picture was a black and white shot, and showed the couple gazing adoringly at their new-born son.The youngest addition to the royal family will share a moniker with his cousin. In January it emerged that Prince George, the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and future king, also goes by a nickname of Archie.Despite his formal name being George Alexander Louis, the young prince told a dog-walker 'I'm called Archie', while strolling with grandmother Carole Middleton near her home in Berkshire, when he struck up a conversation with the stranger. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh met their eighth great-grandchild for the first time at Windsor Castle. Baby Archie was there with his parents and his grandmother, Doria Ragland. A name of Germanic origin, Archie is the shortened version of Archibald, meaning 'bold' or 'brave'. Archie's second name means - of course - 'son of Harry'.Meanwhile, Harrison is of Aboriginal origin and, in a fitting tribute to the baby's father, means 'son of Henry' or 'son of Harry'. The couple did not disclose why they had chosen the names but Archie is an increasingly popular name in Britain and was among top 20 most common boy's names in 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics.Harrison, meanwhile, has largely been made popular thanks to Star Wars actor Harrison Ford. The Sussexes' son will have the hyphenated surname Mountbatten-Windsor, in keeping with a Royal tradition established shortly after the Queen's coronation.The royal family name of Windsor was confirmed by the Queen after her accession in 1952, but eight years later she and the Duke of Edinburgh sought a break from tradition to differentiate their direct descendants from the rest of the House of Windsor.It was therefore declared the Queen's descendants, other than those with the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince/Princess would carry the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.This is an amalgam of her name and Prince Philip's surname, which is an Anglicised version of the original name of his forebears, the German house of Battenberg - literally, 'Batten mountain'.Little Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor made his very first public appearance at a photocall alongside a thrilled Prince Harry and Meghan in the grounds of Windsor Castle, where the new family have been holed up since the historic birth on Monday.The couple answered several questions before leaving the hall as they prepared to introduce the infant to the Queen this afternoon, where they are expected to inform the monarch of her great-grandson's name before telling the rest of the world. The two-day-old infant was lovingly cradled by his adoring father and watched attentively by Meghan, who was herself pictured for the first time in six weeks since withdrawing from public life ahead of the birth.The couple appeared to be beside themselves with joy, giggling and looking into each other's eyes as they spoke, while Harry could not resist sneaking a peek down at his son as he apparently slept.